BJP lost as it didn't use foul play in bypolls, says Akhilesh Yadav

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed BJP lost the Bankipur and Datia bypolls because it conducted a fair election without 'foul play' to test public resentment. He congratulated Congress for its win in Datia, supported by SP cadres.

'BJP lost because it did not use foul play'

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday claimed that the bypolls in Bankipur and Datia were fair, and the BJP lost because it did not indulge in "foul play." Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP wanted to test "resentment among the public." Congratulating the Congress for the win in Datia, the Samajwadi Party leader said that the party cadres in Madhya Pradesh extended support to the INDIA bloc ally.

He said, "This is the return gift to the BJP for the last 12 years. If they contested like in Bengal and would have used force, it would not have lost. Without using police force, without tampering with the EVM, they wanted to witness how much resentment is there among the public? This is not a defeat; they decided to see how many votes they get without foul play. Would BJP have lost if they contested as they did in the Uttar Pradesh bypoll?"

"BJP conducted a fair election. We are happy that the public stood with the INDIA bloc in Datia. We talked to Jitu Patwari and cadres in Madhya Pradesh extended their support," he added.

Bypoll Results

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor won the high-stakes Bankipur bypoll against Neeraj Kumar on a seat considered to be the BJP's stronghold. In Datia, Madhya Pradesh, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh won against BJP's Ashutosh Tiwari by 6016 votes. However, the Majalpur seat in Gujarat was won by BJP's Satendrabhai Patel, who defeated Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari by a huge margin of 30,630 votes.

Kishor on Bankipur Verdict

Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor noted that the Bankipur Assembly bypoll verdict was a message from the people of Bihar to the BJP and the NDA leadership to change the state's leadership, alleging that voters had rejected Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary over his "conduct, character and face." (ANI)

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